“Yeah. Like electricity.”
In the kitchen scene, Billy (and something which he explains later in the movie), being on the spot, both figuratively and literally when his brother set him atop the table to dance in front of everyone, transports into the place where his Dance is, as I’ll call it, and performs one of the best dance scenes I have ever seen in my whole life, the likes of which I’ve never seen. Everything about it, from the way it began, to the presentation (the locations and interactions with those locations, to a clearly impeccable display (and revelation (to the viewer) of Billy’s burgeoning talent,
I feel like Billy transcended time (also), because this was a piece that was very much about what is inside of Billy, but also him holding it in for so long; many of his actions and dance movements were sharp thrashing out like flames under pressure, or gripping his body or gesturally like he was holding something back that wants fervently to be let out. The dance, furthermore, is somehow tinged with a touch of “magical realism” that gives the sequence a super subtle dreamlike sense.
I was going to call it abstract at first, but later realizing that it is kind of both a Theme and an abstract piece at the same time, but for the sake of choosing one I chose theme over abstract. ( The first half indeed has many moments that seem to be movement for movement sake, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the director asked Billy’s actor to improvise parts of the dance.) The actor who plays Billy performed amazingly in this piece, which I feel added a crucial thread to the entire narrative of the film.
One of the things I love the most about Billy’s character is that he’s so honest, not just in his every day relationships, but also with himself, always having the resolve and fortitude at any point to keep doing what his heart is telling him to do. He lives by his emotions, and I feel that by this particular dance sequence the audience is treated to a secret performance of part of Billy’s spirit and/or inner-life; and it is this very dance that Billy in a way seems to unintentionally reference toward the end of the movie, when one of the auditioners asks Billy what he feels when he dances. This is what the audience gets to see in this dance, and I believe the whole presentation of it was absolutely impeccable, both unto itself and as part of the greater scheme of the film.